If You're Ever In Atlanta, Georgia

As sung by the infamous Ray Charles, “Georgia on my mind,” the peach state treated me well as I was on an academic conference. For five days I was lucky enough to spend time in Atlanta, explore the city, and see what it had to offer.

The World of Coke

Although I am not much of a soda drinker, I felt that it was necessary to try the variety of Coke products; when traveling to somewhere new, it’s important to immerse yourself in the culture, which is why I felt that it was important to drink the sparkling beverage.

CNN

If you are interested in communication and media, journalism, or broadcasting, this is the place to tour. For about an hour, I learned the history of CNN, took a tour of the entire center, saw eye-grabbing images taken by CNN photojournalists, and saw where the CNN employees work, which is essentially in a room with about one hundred computers. From the looks of it, they are constantly looking for news. When they find enough information, it’s likely it will be discussed on TV. Additionally, I saw where the broadcasters are filmed; the room contained large pieces of equipment such as cameras, microphones, and of course, the green screen! Fun fact about this tour: I went up the longest freestanding escalator- 196 feet long!

Civil Rights Museum

Unfortunately, I was not able to visit the museum because we ran out of time. I know, how could you visit anywhere in the South without going to a civil or human rights museum?? Anyway, I have heard wonderful things about the center, ranging from the art pieces, personal stories, and artifacts. If I am ever in Atlanta again, I will make sure I take a tour.

SkyView Atlanta

Ferris wheels are kinda my thing. So when I saw the ride as I was exploring the city, I knew I had to go on. A group of us went on in the evening, and needless to say, it was breathtaking. With the Centennial Olympic park lit up, the bright buildings, the luminous Bank of America, and the fast-paced nightlife, the ferris wheel gave me the opportunity to view the entire city.

Take An Uber

If you’re traveling in Atlanta, whether that be for work or just for a weekend to get away, it’s likely that you didn’t bring your car. This is where an Uber comes into play. I have taken many Ubers while being at college, but the ten minute car ride I had with my group of friends compared nothing to being back at school. We got to know the driver pretty quickly into the ride. We talked about where we are from and why we were visiting Atlanta. He eventually opened up about himself and later claimed that he is a songwriter. Not just a songwriter, though. A songwriter for Mariah Carey! We were all blown away. As we exchanged goodbyes, we weren’t sure if he was bluffing. We looked up his name, and come to find out, he was the real deal!

Long story short, always take an Uber. Who knows who you’ll encounter in the short car ride.

10 Things You Know To Be True If You Live in Sheepshead Bay, Brooklyn

For anyone that is currently living in Sheepshead Bay, Brooklyn and or has lived there, you know it's an *interesting* experience. From the various food joints, to the movie theater, everyone's love/hate relationship with Crazy George, Emmons Avenue, the B/Q trains, the new apartment complex that some people love and others completely despise, and everything in-between, there's no other neighborhood that's just like Sheepshead. You know you're from Sheepshead when:

1. You've either spotted Crazy George somewhere out on the streets or in a random location (usually in Dunkin' Donuts).

Don't get me wrong — it's not funny that he appears to have problems, but it's also not ideal that he goes into various stores harassing the workers. He's a one of a kind human being and I do wish the best for him and/or that he does get some help.

2. When it comes to Brennan and Carr and Roll n Roaster, you either love one of them much more than the other.

As much as I love Brennan and Carr's Gargiulo burger, I'm more of a Roll n Roaster person. Their personal pizza is nice and their fries are to die for -- and yes, I want cheese on that, please.

3. You either love or hate that new apartment complex that's in the works.

4. You've become used to the B and Q trains either being delayed, messed up, crowded, and or nonexistent.

"Take the B they said. It's express they said." If I told you how many times the B has gone local, out of service, and or on fire in Brooklyn, then maybe you'd hate it just as much as I do at times. Don't even get me started about how crowded it is - especially during rush hour.

"What about the Q train?" The Q's not much better. It has its times where it goes express in Brooklyn as opposed to local, which doesn't help if you're getting on/off at Neck Road or Avenue U.

5. You either go to UA Sheepshead, another movie theater or don't even bother with movie theaters.

Although going to UA Sheepshead is convenient, their prices are very special for just an average movie theater.

6. You either stick to shopping and dining along Sheepshead Bay Road and or Emmons Avenue or go elsewhere either in the neighborhood, other neighborhoods, or to the city.

While they're both convenient parts of Sheepshead Bay, there are other parts of the neighborhood to go to, such as Nostrand Ave. Sometimes, it's easier to flock to other parts of Brooklyn, but there are times where going to the city is worth the commute.

7. You either shop at Cherry Hill or avoid it completely.

While there are other supermarkets in the neighborhood, Cherry Hill is the only one on Emmons that is open 24/7. Their prices might be high for the neighborhood, but their prices could be much worse.

8. You remember when Sheepshead Bay High School was one school...

...and not an educational complex.

9. You're still low-key bothered about how the neighborhood recovered after Sandy.

I'm not going to say that it was the same after the hurricane. Although it didn't take the longest time to recover, that doesn't mean that damage wasn't done.

10. But regardless of how you may feel, by the end of the day, you're probably still super in love with the neighborhood.

It's an incredibly unique neighborhood. You can take someone out of Sheepshead but you can't take the Sheepshead out of someone.

25 Things You Know All Too Well If You're From The South

You may think that southern people only care about football. That could possibly be true, but you can't say that unless you've experienced living in the south first hand. There are many other things that make up a "southerner" rather than SEC football and sweet tea. If you've never been to one of the southern states, then you need to plan a trip.

1. You get the death stare if you don't say "yes ma'am or no sir"

2. SEC>NFL

3. You pull over on the highway when you see a funeral procession

4. Unsweet tea is for the Northern Folk

5. You can tell when someone "ain't from around here"

6. Shunnarah

7. There are only 2 seasons: Summer and Football

8. Krispy Kreme and BBQ are a delicacy

9. You respect your elders.... well, you respect everybody or mama will whoop you